Healing a Heart
by blue artemis
Summary: Harry and Luna are out on an expedition. Written for the Houses Competition. House: Ravenclaw Year: 5 Category: standard Prompt: "What is this thing and what do I do with it? Word Count: 1346


" What is this thing and what am I supposed to do with it?" Harry asked Luna exasperatedly.

"It's a Crumple-horned Snorkack detector," Luna responded. "You make a sweeping motion with it in front of you, and it tells you if there is a Snorkack horn in the area."

"It only detects the horns?" Harry shook the device, then looked at Luna in utter disbelief. "You know, I was really happy that you asked me to come out with you because I really needed the distraction after Gin's accident, but I'm not so sure anymore," he said.

Luna peered at him, her big blue eyes seeing something, he wasn't certain he wanted her to see. "Harry, not everything is easily explained, you know that. Sometimes, you just need to have something magical to look for, _to help heal your heart._"

Harry nodded, then took the contraption that looked a bit like a Muggle policeman's flashlight, and made a sweeping motion in front of himself as he walked into the forest Luna had taken him to on her xenobiology trip.

As he was walking, he thought over the events of the prior three months. He and Ginny had finally set a date for their wedding, when there'd been a tragic broom accident at the final Quidditch match of the season for the Harpies. A Bludger bounced off the top of the stands after it got thrown, and ricocheted into the back of Ginny's broom, sending her spiraling down into the stadium. It was a freak gust of wind, which pushed the falling witch into one of the posts that lined the stadium to hold the flags, breaking her neck. She was dead by the time she hit the ground. He tried to think of what he could have done to stop it, but he had been on an assignment covering a wannabe Death Eater who was targeting Muggle-born families in Diagon Alley.

"You know, Harry," Luna's voice floated to him from where she was walking calmly behind him, something bright and winged flying around her head, "Even if you would have held the death stick you couldn't have stopped the accident. Some things just happen."

"My head knows that, Luna, but my heart still feels like I should have been there," he said.

"Your heart, or Ron's?" Luna said, having witnessed Ronald yelling at Harry in the Atrium of the Ministry.

"Both, I guess. Hermione pointed out he wasn't there and didn't save Ginny either, so he stopped pestering me, but I still miss her," he answered.

"You've always been too kind, Harry. Yelling at you in the Ministry, about not saving his sister when you weren't even there when she died isn't pestering," Luna said bluntly. "I'm also not quite sure that silencing Ron, dunking him in the fountain and setting George on him is 'pointing something out', but you know Hermione better than I do."

"If I didn't know you any better, I'd think you were angry at Ron," Harry said.

"He has never learned when to stay quiet. He was both oblivious and cruel in my Seventh Year. I didn't need to be reminded, that I was kidnapped and kept at Malfoy Manor, every time he saw Draco." She took a deep breath. "But the worst part was when I came home from my apprenticeship with the Scamander's. I really fell in love, Harry. I didn't care that Rolf was twenty years older, or that he has a limp. But Ron yelled out that I'd have been better off with Draco, and the only reason he could see me with Rolf was his last name and connections."

"I-I-I never knew he did that, Luna. Anyone who knows you, knows you wouldn't say you love a person unless you really do, um, did, um, you know what I mean, right?"

Luna smiled. "Thank you, Harry. Unfortunately, Rolf was very insecure, and he told me that he wouldn't marry anyone who just wanted to be a Scamander. Even after he thought about it, and said he knew it wasn't true, he wasn't willing to ignore the naysayers."

"I'm sorry. Losing love is so hard."

"But not having that love to lose would be harder, wouldn't it? Now, this looks like a good place to find Snorkacks, so let's make ourselves more attractive to any that might come around."

Harry stopped short, and turned to look at Luna to see what she might mean, when he saw that she had taken off her boots and was wiggling her toes in the deep grass.

"Snorkacks like to eat larvae, so sometimes they will come out for wiggling toes," she explained. "If it doesn't work, I like the way the grass feels under my feet, so I don't lose out either way."

Harry stopped and looked at Luna. Her hair was shining in the sun, the fluttering animal or insect looked like a magical hair jewel in the strands, her feet were bare, and she looked both completely in her element and joyous.

"You really don't care what anyone thinks, do you Luna?"

She smiled wryly. "I used to think I didn't, and people could still really hurt me," she said. "But now, I know there are people who really do care about me, and so those that don't, they don't matter."

Harry nodded, coming to a decision. He bent down and removed his boots and socks, then shrunk them and put them in his pack. He joined Luna in the thick patch of grass and wiggled his toes. He took great pleasure in Luna's delighted laugh, which was a feeling he hadn't felt in a very long time.

They continued along the grassy path, Harry swinging the Snorkack locator in front of them in the sweeping motion when suddenly it beeped.

They came to a stop, and looked around quietly. A small deer-like animal wandered out, and sure enough, licked Luna's toes.

"A Snorkack!"

"Luna, I think that's a muntjac."

"Muntjacs are bigger. And they don't have curly horns on their heads," she said.

"A runty muntjac with a mutated horn?"

"If that is what you want to believe, then you can believe it, Harry. But I don't think muntjac saliva can make your toes change color," she said.

Harry looked down at the little invasive Indian deer which was happily licking his toes, and realized that his toes were now a sparkly green that matched his eyes. "Maybe it's the grass, Luna."

"And maybe it is a Snorkack."

The deer moved on and started to munch on a flower and the beetle that was on it, when it startled suddenly and poofed out of existence.

Harry stared at it in disbelief. "Muntjacs don't apparate, do they?"

"Nope! I'm glad I got a photo of it licking your toes, Harry! I need to send the photo to Mr. Scamander. He'll be delighted."

"Um, Luna?"

"Yes, Harry?"

"Make sure you ask him if the green sparkly toes will change back. Because nothing I'm doing here seems to be getting the color off," he said, rubbing at his toes with a cloth.

Luna threw her head back and laughed. "I surely will, Harry. Now, let's start back to camp. We can see if we can see a mooncalf tonight, it is full moon, then we can go home."

Harry took her hand on the walk back. They snuggled under a rainbow-colored handmade blanket while they watched the meadow for a mooncalf.

When the small white horse-like animal began to prance around the meadow, leaving little flowers growing in its hoof-prints, Harry turned to Luna. "Thank you, Luna."

"For what, Harry?"

"For bringing me along on this trip. For not letting me wallow. For being my friend."

"You've been my friend since you met me, Harry. I couldn't do any less. And you didn't defend Ron's behavior, so that made me feel even better."

Harry smiled and pulled her close, and she rested her head on his shoulder, and they watched the dancing mooncalf as they both let their heart heal.


End file.
